Heart of Shadow
by Acethemaster135
Summary: Roxas wakes up in an unkown world after his descisive battle with Riku/Ansem, with much of his past missing from his memory. As he gains more knowledge, he joins up with Yen Sid to help train more Keyblade wielders than just Riku and Sora. But what happens when Heartless invade every world with even more power, and began enslaving the populace? Disclaimer: I don't own KH.
1. Chapter 1

_A/N: This story came about because I was upset at one of the final cutscene in KH 365/2 Days, in which Organization XIII Roxas (My all-time favorite KH character) was killed by Riku. WHY, Square Enix, WHY?! So, yeah. This is basically an AU, but not, in which something happened instead of him just dying and going back to living in Traverse Town. By the way, I know what happened at the end of Dream Drop Distance, Roxas telling Sora that it had to be him, blah blah blah. I don't care._

Heart of Shadow Chapter I

Roxas felt a mild heat on his face, and blinked open his eyes to see sunlight filtering through the trees. He rubbed his eyes, and stood up. He looked down, and noticed that he was back in the clothes he had worn before becoming a Nobody.

"What's going on?" He muttered to himself.

He looked through the dense brush, and noticed a tower in the distance. As he started toward the path, He summoned his Keyblades…. Or Keyblade.

"What the….. Why can't I summon Oathkeeper?" He said to himself.

The Keyblade he could summon, Oblivion, made short work of the forest brush. As he made his way to the tower, he saw a few people sparring with what he thought were Keyblades. He questioned out loud what they were doing and how they wielded…Keyblades…..

_Flashback_

_Roxas saw a familiar face…Axel? That's who he thought it was, but…..He could barely remember anything. "Are you gonna eat your ice cream, or not?_

_Flashback Over_

Roxas shook his head to clear it, starting to remember what had happened previously. He noticed Oblivion had vanished from his hand, meaning that he had lost concentration. He looked up upon the toll of a bell, and noticed all of the people who had been training in the yard were rushing inside. He walked down a small, well-beaten path towards the front door of the tower. As he got closer, the last of the Keyblade wielders turned around and noticed Roxas.

"Who are you?" She asked.

"I'm….Roxas…." He said in reply.

"How did you find this place?" She said, "Only Keyblade wielders can find it!"

In response, Roxas summoned Oblivion.

"Ackk!" She stumbled back in surprise.

Roxas de-summoned his Keyblade, and asked her a question: "Where am I?"

She looked like he had just asked why the sky was blue. "This is master Yen Sid's tower, of course."

"Could I meet with…..Yen Sid?"

"Doubtful. He's cooped up in his study most of the time." She replied, "Besides, if you don't have the permission of King Mickey, you can't stay here."

"Why not?" Roxas shot back.

"No idea."

"Whatever…." Roxas said, a plan already forming in his head.

_3 Hours Later_

After night fell, Roxas began walking back to the tower. As soon as he got close to the tower, he was stunned as a black feather hit his face. He looked up, only to see a muscular, well-built figure land on the roof he had planned to climb up to.

"Well, that puts a damper on my plans." Roxas muttered in an annoyed undertone.

Roxas saw the figure slip in a window, and promptly decided that this was his chance. After using his Keyblade as a stair for his foot, he was able to de-summon it and climb the rest of the way. When he got to the window the figure had gone into, he looked inside and noticed a figure with two demonic wings sprouting from it's back speaking to someone he assumed to be Yen Sid. Roxas listened in, intrigued.

"Cloud, where is this 'Keyblade Graveyard' you speak of?" Yen Sid said to the being, presumably Cloud.

"Here's a map I drew up, hopefully it's useful." Cloud said back.

Roxas accidentally hit his hand on the window. Cloud whirled around, drawing a gigantic broadsword with the blade partially wrapped in cloth. As Cloud flung out his wings, Roxas stumbled and fell off the ledge. As he hurtled toward the ground, he summoned Oblivion and slammed it into the wall of the tower. Roxas continued sliding, and Oblivion was cutting away the cobblestone that made up the wall. Roxas looked up to see the being, Cloud, hurtling towards him. Roxas yanked Oblivion from the outer wall and performed a midair flip to slam into Cloud. This didn't work, because Cloud expected it and slammed back with even more force, breaking Roxas's concentration and dismissing Oblivion. Roxas then plummeted to the ground, creating a decent sized crater.

"That didn't work…" Roxas muttered.

Cloud flew down, crashing down about thirty feet away from Roxas. Roxas stood up, and rushed at Cloud, shadow energy swirling around his hand and summoning Oblivion. Cloud hurled his sword at Roxas at such high speeds it was just a spinning blur. Roxas flipped over it, and landed in front of Cloud. Roxas swung his Keyblade as hard as he could, causing Cloud to bring up his hand and catch the blade an inch from his face. Roxas stumbled backwards, and Cloud hurled Oblivion off into the distance. Roxas noticed it vanish in an aura of Shadow, and knew he had obviously lost his concentration yet again. Roxas got off the ground, and used one of his preferred abilities, Firaga. A large fireball slammed into Cloud, causing him to be flung into a tree. Unfortunately for Roxas, that tree was where Cloud's sword had ended up. Cloud tore it from the tree, and rushed Roxas.

Yen Sid stepped out, and raised his hand. He hurled a blast of Light energy at the combatants, and they both were knocked unconscious.

"Aqua… Come help me clean these two up and put them both in _separate _areas of the infirmary."

_Surprised to hear about Aqua? You'll be more surprised with the rest of the chapters._

_-Ace_


	2. Chapter 2

_A/N: Tell me what you thought about the last chapter in the reviews section, please! I'd really like some reviews…Also, this is kind of a Mini-Chapter, because I am working on Chapter three on a separate computer not compatible with this one's current version of Word._

Heart of Shadow Chapter II

Roxas blinked repeatedly, noticing a harsher light then the light that he has woken up to in the forest the day previously. He sat up, noticing that instead of lying on the forest floor, he was actually in a hospital bed. He leapt out of the bed, summoning Oblivion.

"Where am I?!" He shouted, swinging Oblivion around in anger.

Oblivion caught on something, and Roxas whirled around. Roxas's face twisted in surprise. His Keyblade had caught on…another Keyblade! He looked up, only to see a young woman with bright blue hair.

"Huh?" Roxas began, "Who are you?"

"My name is Aqua." The woman replied, "And you're at Yen Sid's tower."

Roxas dismissed Oblivion, and Aqua did the same. He turned to face the woman, and asked:

"Why am I in an infirmary?"

"Well, Yen Sid was forced to knock you and Cloud unconscious before Cloud killed you or you two destroyed the Tower." She replied.

"I need to leave now." Roxas said.

The woman stood a little taller, and said:

"Sorry, but Yen Sid forbids it."

Roxas turned, and began walking towards the exit of the infirmary. He knew the woman would probably follow, but he really didn't care. He flung open the door, and saw Cloud in an adjoining infirmary, sitting up.

"Not good!" He yelled to himself.

Cloud noticed him, and flung himself at Roxas in only some torn up black pants and a white linen shirt. A moment later, Cloud's wings expanded, allowing him to reach much higher speeds. As he flew towards Roxas, he realized he was weaponless, he stopped and fell. Roxas stepped forward, summoning Oblivion. Aqua summoned her Keyblade to block Roxas's.

"What was that for?" Roxas yelled, "He tried to kill me! AGAIN!"

Aqua turned around, muttering, "He has little control over himself when he sees someone he perceives to be an enemy."

Roxas glared, annoyed. He looked up as he heard a voice, apparently only heard by him and the two others in the room.

"_Roxas, I need you and Aqua to come to my study. Cloud, go to the armory to find the sword. After that, go have Kairi open the Lanes Between for you." a voice that sounded like Yen Sid's said._

Roxas looked at Aqua, and she nodded. They both walked out of the room, Cloud no longer angered, and headed for Yen Sid's study.


	3. Chapter 3

_A/N: So, yeah. I know the last chapter was kind of sucky, but just read this one, okay? I promise it includes a lot more important information._

Chapter III

Roxas and Aqua walked toward Yen Sid's study, knowing whatever this was about, it was important. As soon as they reached the door, it flung open with no obvious person pushing it. Yen Sid looked over at them, and motioned for them to sit down in two high-backed chairs conveniently placed in front of the desk.

"Come and sit," He said to them in a calm tone, "I need to speak with you."

"What is this about?" Aqua muttered, "We never get called in like this!"

"Sit and I'll tell you !" Yen Sid replied.

Aqua sat down, knowing it was pointless to argue. Yen Sid looked up from some papers lying on his desk and flipped open a book to check something. He looked at Roxas, and looked back at his papers.

"Well, Roxas, I have some news that will either make you happy or cause your brain to explode. I am not sure which.

Roxas gulped, really not wanting his brain to explode.

"I was kidding, Roxas! Besides that, I have come to the conclusion that when Riku killed your Nobody self, you were hurled here upon becoming a normal person."

Roxas cringed at the name Riku, and unknowingly glared at Yen Sid.

"I have one completely off-topic question: Who is this Kairi person?" Roxas then said.

"Well, while she is not a Keyblade wielder, I believe she has the potential to be. She does possess one interesting ability: She can manipulate the Lanes Between without a Keyblade." Yen Sid replied to Roxas's strange question.

Roxas had a concentrated look on his face, obviously thinking hard. "I recognize the name… Did she know Sora?"

"Yes, actually, she is." Yen Sid replied.

Roxas looked towards Yen Sid once more: "I used to have two Keybaldes: Oblivion and Oathkeeper. Now I can only summon Oblivion. Do you know why that may have happened?"

"I looked into that, and I believe this is why: When you were Sora's Nobody, you were able to use Oblivion and Oathkeeper at the same time because of the memories of Kairi and Riku that Sora retained. Now that you are a normal being, you cannot retain Sora's abilities or memory. I think the reason you can use Oblivion is because when you fought Riku, you retained those 'Shadow memories' of his powers."

Roxas looked lost: "Memory….retained memories?"

Yen Sid slapped his face, annoyed. "That's all you got out of that speech?!"

"Um, yeah?" Roxas questioned.

Yen Sid looked to Aqua: "Take Roxas to Destiny Islands, and show him the shrine. I have research to do. You are both dismissed."

_25 minutes later_

Roxas looked at Aqua, and she nodded at him.

"You sure this will work?" He asked.

Aqua nodded again. Roxas summoned oblivion, and immediately afterwards a portal filled with blinding white light. He threw his Keyblade into a midair spiral, per Aqua's instructions, and it transformed into a Glider shape. He leapt onto it, and saw Aqua had done the same. They both flew into the portal, and the light rendered Roxas unconscious, or so he thought. A moment later, he was standing on the ground in a strange forest that seemed to be in perpetual twilight.

"Twilight town!" He exclaimed, excited.

"I thought you might like to come back here." Aqua said.

Roxas looked over at her: "Can we go into town?"

"Yes, but we can't let anyone know we're from other worlds. That would-"

"Upset the balance, I get it."

Aqua looked over to him: "Are you ready to go into town?"

_Meanwhile, at Yen Sid's tower_

Yen Sid looked over to Riku, who had just arrived. Riku, being the newest Keyblade master, was entitled to certain knowledge that was extremely important.

"Riku," He began, "I have told you all that I can at the moment. I do have one thing to ask you though: I want Sora to retake the Mark of Mastery, and I want you to help me oversee it."

Riku looked over: "Sure, but one question: Why not have one for Roxas as well?"

What could you mean by that?" Yen Sid questioned.

"Well, he's wielded the Keyblade for a long time, and I think that he as close to a master as Sora is. In fact, Sora and Roxas might fight well together." Riku replied.

Yen Sid looked at Riku with an appraising look. "I suppose we can test both of them. Call them in."

_Back at Twilight Town_

Aqua looked over at Roxas: "Yen Sid is calling us back. We have to go, Roxas."

Roxas looked over, and nodded his head.

_At Yen Sid's tower_

"Roxas and Sora, today you will be tested for the Mark of Mastery. A moment ago, you completed the first part of the test. Next, we have the combat portion. You each have an hour to prepare. Spend your time wisely.


	4. Chapter 4

_I hope the previous chapter was enjoyable and that most of you liked it. As well, I noticed reading this chapter is nice if you're playing the Kingdom Hearts Intro Song in the background! Also, A shout out to the current reviewers: Thanks to miano53, xXLiberationXx and NotInsaneJustCrazy. Thanks! Also, if any of you has ideas that I could put into the story or something I might have missed, please PM me about it! (This is important: When Lea, (Axel) attacks with his Keyblade, he spins it around and slashes like he did with his Chakrams.) Also, some of this isn't entirely Canon._

Chapter IV

Roxas and Sora stood thirty feet from each other, Keyblades held in a ready position. Yen Sid yelled out a command for them to begin, and Roxas rushed at Sora. His Keyblade slashed out at Sora, and Sora wasn't fast enough to block the entire blow. Oblivion left a small nick on the bridge of Sora's nose, and a fleck of blood flew off to the side. Sora swung up his Kingdom Key, but Roxas had already backflipped out of Sora's reach. Roxas summoned up a little bit of magical energy and flung a nice dose of the Firaga spell at Sora. As Sora brought up the Kingdom Key, Firaga flew past and flung him backwards. Sora rushed forward, now angered. He swung his Keyblade fast and hard, and it slashed open the skin on Roxas's forearm. Roxas and Sora both swung their Keyblades at the same moment, and the two weapons clashed. Sparks flew, and they both tried to knock the other back. Yen Sid motioned for them to stop, and they did.

"You have both performed commendably, and I have deliberated with Riku. We believe you both have shown the Mark of Mastery, and as such, I am honored to call you our newest Keyblade masters. Tomorrow, we will hold a ceremony for you two, and I think there will be guests that will have you both excited."

Riku smiled to himself, knowing exactly what Yen Sid meant.

"What guests?" Sora asked.

Riku smiled, and said to his best friend: "Sorry, but that's a secret."

_The very next Day….._

Roxas and Sora walked together towards the courtyard, talking to each other in lowered voices. They were questioning who these 'visitors' Yen Sid had spoken of were. As they neared the courtyard, they heard shouting voices and loud music blaring in the background. When they entered, they noticed a lot of familiar faces.

"Axel?!" Roxas yelled.

The person who Roxas had called Axel turned around, looking at him.

"Roxas!" He said affectionately. "I'm sorry, but my name is Lea."

Roxas looked confused, and asked: "What do you mean, Axel?"

"The organization's over. I'm not a Nobody, and I doubt you are anymore."

Roxas looked a little less confused, but not much.

"Hey Roxas!" Lea yelled over to him, "I brought some friends!"

Roxas looked over, only to see Naminé and his friends from Twilight Town.

He looked over to where Yen Sid was sitting, and inquired: "I thought they weren't supposed to know about other worlds?"

"Well, I thought you might be able to…. Give them a larger purpose."

"You mean ask them to help us?"

"Something along those lines."

Roxas thrust his fist into the air, yelling: "Score!"

Sora looked over to Roxas, saying: "Pretty much everyone's here!"

Roxas looked around, seeing people he still slightly remembered from when he possessed Sora's memories. Leon, Aerith, everyone from Traverse town. King Mickey, returned to congratulate them.

Riku stood up, saying: "Well, we might as well begin the ceremony."

In a few moments, everyone had quieted down, and Roxas and Sora had bowed down on their knees, their right arms across their chests. Riku summoned his Way to the Dawn and performed a ceremony similar to the way ancient King's would 'knight' their newest warriors. Both Roxas and Sora then felt an intense burning sensation on different parts of their torso. Roxas his right shoulder and Sora on the back of his left forearm. Sora struggled to look at what had happened, and saw what looked like the actual Mark of a Master burned into his arm. Roxas looked at the mark on Sora, already knowing what he would find on his shoulder. Just to be sure, he looked into the carefully polished blade of Oblivion and saw the same mark on his shoulder.

"Is this supposed to happen?" He asked.

Riku pulled apart a strand of the white cloth that covered his right hand, so that Roxas could see the mark that was on Riku's hand matched up to his. Roxas looked over to Sora, and Sora looked still a little confused.

Riku looked over: "Yeah, your fine. Every Keyblade Master has these."

Yen Sid, Mickey, Riku, and Aqua went over to the side where no one would hear them, and called Sora and Riku over.

"There is some certain…. Knowledge you are entitled to as Keyblade Masters. The first of this information is the secret entrance to the Chamber of Waking." Yen Sid began.

"The room the Organization was looking for!" Roxas exclaimed.

"Yes. It contains something extremely important." Yen Sid continued.

"Ventus…." Roxas and Sora said at the same moment.

"How did you know that?!" Aqua exclaimed.

"I…I don't know…" Roxas said.

Yen Sid looked over the whole group, taking them all in: "I think that….. Sora has Ventus's heart in him… Or at least part of it. When Ventus was injured, his heart went to Sora. But when Sora split into two, creating Roxas as a nobody, Roxas also had part of Ventus inside him. When Roxas became whole, he retained his part of Ventus."

Aqua looked confused: "So can I take them to revive Ven?"

Mickey looked to Yen Sid: "I think it is time."

"I suppose. Let them go back to the party. Afterwards, you can take them to the Chamber of Waking."

_Three hours later, after the party_

Roxas, Sora and Aqua walked through the blinding white hallways of Castle Oblivion, heading for a thick wall.

"Are you sure this is it, Aqua?" Roxas asked.

"Yep!" She said.

"Okay." Roxas said, and they walked towards the wall, in which had just appeared a portal of light.

_A/N: So, how'd you guys like the story so far? Please leave a review!_


	5. Chapter 5

_Well, I finished up chapter IV, And now on to this. Two chapters worked on in the same two days! This one will contain a lot of important information, so pay attention! Also, I found this chapter as a good place to introduce the story's first OC!_

Chapter V

Roxas and the others went into what looked like a throne room. As they approached the thrones, Roxas noticed a young boy who looked a lot like him lying on one of the thrones, not moving.

"This is Ven." Aqua said.

Roxas and Sora looked at each other, and each were uncertain.

"Here goes nothing!" Roxas said, and Oblivion and Kingdom Key clashed together, and two glowing orbs left both of their chests and the orbs flew into Ven. Ven's eyes flew open, and he jumped forward, a Keyblade flying into his hand. He was holding it…. Backwards. Then he saw Aqua, and stopped.

"Aqua…." He said. His Keyblade vanished, and he ran up and gave her a hug.

"Aqua!" he yelled.

Aqua looked down at Ven, pushing some hair out of Ven's eyes. Ven backed up, getting a confused look on his face.

"Where's Terra?" He asked her.

"I don't know. Maybe we can find him together." Aqua replied.

The four Keyblade wielders walked toward a portal to the Lanes Between, and they headed for Yen Sid's tower.

_An hour later, at the tower._

Roxas looked over to where the younger Keyblade wielder, Ven, was training. He held his Keyblade in a reverse grip, making him sort of unique. He was sparring with Lea, who also fought with his Keyblade strangely. The way he swung the weapon was similar to how Axel had sung his Chakrams, in a circular pattern. The two Keyblade wielders fought against each other, causing the wind to pick up and small sparks of fire to fly in every direction. After the two were both tired out, they fell onto their backs, looking up at the sky. Lea looked over to Roxas, and motioned him over.

"You want to join us?" Lea said.

"Maybe in a moment." Roxas began, "I have to finish looking over some things for Yen Sid."

Roxas walked back over to where several volumes of historical text, and looked over the pages. Yen Sid had assigned Roxas, Sora, and Riku to look over different parts of the known history of Kingdom Hearts, to see if there was any way Xehanort would be able to summon it back, even though Sora had sealed it away. As Roxas looked through the leather-bound books, he tossed one away, as it revealed nothing. He started looking through the next one, and found something.

"A synthetic Kingdom Hearts…." He began, "Can be created if a Keyblade wielder releases Hearts collected by the Heartless."

Roxas realized that was what Xemnas had been forcing him to do when he had been part of the Organization. He rushed to the front door of the tower, and flung it open. He passed many apprentice Keyblade wielders as he rushed up the stairs to speak to Yen Sid. He accidentally slammed into someone, and as he fell backwards, he saw the young woman he had seen when he first arrived at the tower.

"Hey!" She said, "You're Roxas!"

"Um, yeah…" He replied.

"Well, what are you doing running up the stairs? Oh, and I don't think I introduced myself. My name is Athena."

"I need to get to Yen Sid's study. He needs to see this!"

"I'm sorry," she said, "But Yen Sid only allows Keyblade Masters to enter uninvited."

Roxas pulled down the edge of his jacket and shirt to reveal the Mark of a Master. Athena stepped a foot backwards, surprised.

"You're a Keyblade Master? How come I never hear anything like this?" She said.

"Well, maybe because I just became one yesterday. Only the people who came to the private party know right now. Can I go to Yen Sid now?"

Athena looked at him: "Sure, right this way."

Roxas ran towards the study, flipping the book open to the correct page. He flung the door open, and saw Yen Sid sitting in his tall backed chair, speaking to a girl with short red hair.

"Yen Sid," He said, out of breath, "I need to show you something…"

Yen Sid looked at him and said, "First, look at this." He nodded to the redhead, and she summoned a Keyblade.

"Kairi here has proven herself able to wield a Keyblade. She says it is called Destiny's Embrace." Yen Sid said to Roxas.

"Well," Roxas said, "Look at this."

He showed Yen Sid the page about the synthetic Kingdom Hearts, and Yen Sid's face fell.

"I feared this was the case. I need you to go to the Keyblade Graveyard. I fear that Cloud may have been captured by the forces of darkness. If this is true, we are in grave danger, because if you go to rescue him from the Heartless than you will have to kill the vile creatures, but that will help Xehanort. If you don't, Cloud will probably be tortured for information."

Roxas looked up, and got an idea. "What if I just sneak by the Heartless when I can, and only fight them if I have to?"

Yen Sid looked over to him. "I suppose that would work. Go ahead to the Keyblade Graveyard."


	6. Chapter 6

_A/N: Two chapters in two days, now I just have to keep working. One chapter a day until Saturday, phew. I hope this chapter turns out really nice! Also, I think I need to give some ages. Sora and Roxas are 16, Riku 17, etc. And yes, Roxas's Valor form looks exactly like Sora's. Extra info: The Shadows of VII are made up of: Xemnas, Xigbar, Demyx, Larxene, Saix, Xaldin, and Luxord. _

Chapter VI

Roxas looked over the horizon, trying to find the cave Cloud had marked on Yen Sid's map. He noticed an outcropping of rock that seemed to cast a deeper shadow than the rest of the area.

"There it is!" He exclaimed.

He ran in a stooped over position so as to not be spotted by any sentries that might be guarding. He saw some Soldier class Heartless, and knew he would have to take them out to pass. He summoned Oblivion, and rushed forward. With one swipe of his blade, he took all of the Heartless out. He rushed to the entrance of the cave, and saw many Heartless standing guard over a cage with Cloud stuck inside. Roxas jumped into the cave, and swung Oblivion back and forth, and as he did, Heartless burst into pieces and Hearts flew into the sky. Roxas ran over to Cloud's cage and slashed it to pieces.

"C'mon, Yen Sid sent me." He said to Cloud.

"All right." Cloud replied, and they headed out of the cave. Roxas opened the Lanes Between, and they both walked through.

_A moment later, at Yen Sid's tower._

Roxas sent Cloud to check in with Yen Sid, and headed to where Namine was. She said she had something for him. As he opened the door to Namine's room, she stood up.

"I have something for you!" She said.

"What do you mean?" He asked.

"Well, Sora has one, so…. I thought you might want one." She said, and released a reddish-orange orb that flew into Roxas.

"What?" He asked.

"It's what called a 'Valor form'. It has some special abilities, but you need to have an extreme amount of concentration on the battlefield."

"Can I test it out?" Roxas replied.

"Sure, but I'll have to summon some Nobodies…"

"Whatever. I won't let them get far!" Roxas replied.

Namine stood up, and summoned some Dusks. She dispelled them all over the castle, and Roxas ran out of the room, chasing them down. He found the first one, and began the transformation. He transformed, wearing strange red clothing. He knew he had seen Sora wearing similar clothing. He summoned Oblivion, and suddenly, Oathkeeper appeared in his left hand.

"Huh?" He asked to himself.

"Valor form allows you to wield two Keyblades, and I guess you summoned Oathkeeper." Namine said from a corner.

Roxas noticed that all of the Dusks had gathered in front of him, so he rushed forward and started slashing the Dusks apart. After they were all destroyed, his Valor form dissipated and Oathkeeper with it.

"Hmph." He began, "It's nice to be able to sometimes bring back Oathkeeper."

Namine looked over to Roxas: "Oh yeah. Yen Sid wanted to see you."

Roxas ran for the stairs, and headed for Yen Sid's study. When he got there, Yen Sid was gone. In his place lay a note with the Mark of a Master. Roxas opened it, and read it aloud:

_Dear Roxas,_

_I hope you remember crossing us, and how much that angered Xemnas. In retaliation, I took the time to… remove the interference of Yen Sid and capture whoever was with him. If you ever want to see your friends again, come to the Forgotten Mansion in Twilight Town._

_Sincerely,_

_Number II, Xigbar_

_Twenty Minutes Later, In front of the Mansion._

Roxas stood in front of the mansion, holding out Oblivion. He summoned Light energy to open the lock on the gate, but instead in his anger blew the gate off of its hinges. He walked in, and blasted the doors down. He saw Demyx standing to the side, leaning against a column. He saw playing his Sitar, and summoning Dancer class Heartless at the same time.

"So, Roxas, You came. Xigbar thought you would." Demyx said without looking up.

"Why are you working together with Xigbar? The Organization is gone, so how can you possibly want to stay?"  
"That is for you to find out." Demyx replied, and vanished, leaving Roxas to battle the Heartless.


	7. Chapter 7

_A/N: Uploading yet another chapter. Typing this one on a different computer, so it may take a little longer to show up. If I had one review for every ten pageviews, I would have a huge amount of reviews. For those of you who have kept up with the story so far and reviewed, thanks! I wrote this while listening to 'Animal I have Become' by Three Days Grace, so expect it to be a little more action-packed. Also, an update on Roxas's Drive Forms. His drive forms are basically his Org. XIII coat with Red markings for Valor form, Blue for Wisdom form, and Silver markings for Final Form. Also, a little bit of banter between Roxas and Athena at the end. You've been warned._

Chapter VII

Roxas quickly dispatched the Heartless in the room, only to notice that one of them had slashed his arm. He shook off the pain, and walked up to the second story. As soon as he got there, he saw more Heartless. He decided it was a perfect time to test if he could still summon Samurai Nobodies. As he summoned them, he ordered them to combat the Heartless. He walked to the end of the corridor, and kicked down the door. He walked through the door, only to see a note lying on the table in the center of the room. He walked over to the table, and saw the note.

_Well, Roxas, it seems that you've fallen for our ploy, rejoin us and your friends may be spared. I left Larxene there in case you decided to come back. I would recommend not angering her because… Well, I assume you remember._

_-Xigbar_

Roxas whirled around, only to see Larxene standing off to the side.

"Well, Roxas, what'll it be? Your friends or your freedom?" She asked in a menacing tone.

"Both." Roxas replied, and leapt at Larxene, summoning Oblivion. His clothing changed to that of his Valor Form, and he summoned Oathkeeper to partner with Oblivion. He swung both back and forth, and Larxene was unable to even defend herself. After he had knocked her unconscious, he turned back to his regular form and looked over to the glass case in the other part of the room. Inside the case was an Organization XIII Coat. Roxas smashed open the case and pulled the coat on. He walked over to Larxene, who was just beginning to regain consciousness when Roxas smacked her.

"Where are you keeping them?" He yelled at her.

"I…Don't know what you talking about…."

"That's a lie, and you know it!" Roxas said, this time summoning Oblivion.

"Xemnas….. took them to The Castle…."

Roxas kicked her hard in the side of the face and used his powers to send her to Yen Sid's tower.

"Lea will know what to do with you." Roxas said, and walked into the Lanes Between.

_Meanwhile, at The Castle That Never Was_

Xemnas strolled forward, looking at his captives. The only ones Xigbar had captured were Yen Sid and a Keyblade Wielder named Athena.

"So…." Xemnas began, "Tell me: Did Roxas pass his Mark of Mastery exam?"

"That he did." Yen Sid replied.

A moment later, a portal to the Lanes Between opened and Roxas stepped out, angered.

"Xemnas, give it up."

"It's too bad I'm not Xemnas." The man in the coat said, throwing back his hood to reveal that he was, in fact, Xigbar.

"So, Xemnas is still a coward." Roxas said.

Xigbar glared at Roxas, and summoned his Arrowguns. He shot bolt after bolt of energy at Roxas, but they were all deflected by Oblivion. Roxas leapt forward, and slashed Oblivion in an arcing fashion, causing Xigbar to stagger back. Xigbar opened a Dark Corridor, angered at Roxas.

"Yen Sid!" Roxas called out, slashing the ropes that bound him and Athena.

"Aren't you forgetting someone?" Athena said in a playfully annoyed tone.

"Sorry, but I think Yen Sid knows a little more about the whole scenario than you do."

"Yes, I do." Yen Sid said.

"Why did Xigbar capture you?" Roxas shot back.

"They wanted you back, plain and simple. And can you please take that coat off now? It will disturb the younger students."

"Fine." Roxas said, tossing the coat off. The three headed through the Lanes Between and teleported to the Tower.

_A moment later, at the Tower_

Roxas walked through the halls, having just finished a training session with the younger Keybearers. Yen Sid had tasked Roxas and Sora to teach some younger students their skills in order to train even more masters. Roxas realized about halfway through the training that the younger Keybearers had some fight in 'em. This was proved when one bashed Roxas in the ribs, knocking the air out of him.

Roxas strolled outside in the courtyard, and sat down on a bench. From here he had a nice view of where the students were still training, but with Sora this time. It looked like the students were wiping the floor with Sora, but Roxas would bet a million munny that Sora was going easy on them. Roxas turned around, and saw a small Shadow class Heartless standing there, watching him.

"Hey, little guy." Roxas said, summoning Oblivion and slashing the Shadow to pieces.

"Hey, Roxas." A female voice said from the other side of the bench.

Roxas turned around: "Athena? What are you doing here?"

"Not much." She replied, "I just came here to thank you."

"Thank me for what?"

"For rescuing me, stupid!" she replied.

"Oh, that. It was nothing."

"So, what, now that you're a Keyblade Master everything is just 'nothing'?"

"Well, no, but, I just meant that…..I mean….."

"Wow. You don't talk with girls much, do you?"

"No…. Not really…" Roxas replied, sad that someone had finally found his only weakness: talking to a girl….

"Well, I have a present for you." Athena said.

"What?" Roxas asked.

"This!" Athena said, and gave Roxas a quick kiss before vanishing into the bushes.

Roxas was confused, and sat there for a few minutes contemplating what had happened.

"What was that?" Roxas asked aloud.

"It's called a kiss." A voice said from a few feet away.

"RIKU!" Roxas shouted, angered, "Did you see that?!"

Riku had a sly grin on his face: "Most of it."

Roxas then proceeded to chase Riku around the courtyard for a good half hour…..

_A/N: so how'd you guys like the chapter? I just had to include the last bit, I couldn't resist XD_


	8. Chapter 8

_A/N: So, is there some sort of love interest between Roxas and Athena now? I hope you guys enjoyed the last chapter, because the ending was intentionally humorous. Read on, faithful readers/reviewers!_

Chapter VIII

Roxas sat up in bed, even though it was nearly midnight. _Why did Athena kiss me? _He questioned in his mind. He put all thoughts of that out of his mind, though, while he considered the Shadow he had seen in the bush earlier that day. He knew that the Heartless seemed to be making a comeback, but he had no idea why. He decided he might as well go to sleep, and slipped into unconsciousness in a moment.

_Three hours later_

Roxas woke up at a start, and hurriedly searched around the room. Finding nothing of interest, He decided to look in the hallway. He saw several pieces of torn up furniture, and a painting was lying shredded up on the floor. He looked farther down the hallway, and noticed Larxene sitting on the ground, unconscious. Lea stood over her, panting.

"Did you have to send her directly to me? She's tried to escape and kill me at least fifteen times!" Lea yelled to Roxas.

"Sorry, didn't know she would be that much of a burden."

Roxas walked over to Lea, and noticed he had several bruises and cuts on his face.

"Wow, she really did beat you up." Roxas said.

"No kidding, Roxas." Lea responded.

Lea picked up the unconscious Larxene and slung her over his shoulder.

"Now I gotta drag her all the way down to her room, and after this I'm gonna be assigned a double shift."

"Double shift for what?" Roxas asked.

"Keeping watch, interrogation."

"I didn't know we did that now."

"Yen Sid's preparing for war. We're all on high alert. What, did you not get the memo?"

"I guess not." Roxas replied.

They both walked down the stairs, Lea leading the way. They opened the door to Larxene's room, and Lea carefully set her down on the bed. Roxas considered that strange, as he or any other Keybearers would have thrown her down with little or no compassion, because they all knew the evil that the Organization could be capable of.

Lea turned around, and saw Roxas looking with a strange look.

"What's with the look, Roxas?"  
"It's nothing." Roxas replied.

Roxas walked back to his room, which had been transferred to a larger one due to him being a Keyblade Master. He hopped back into bed, and fell back asleep.

_The very next Morning._

Roxas blinked himself awake, and literally jumped out of bed. He walked down the hall, intent on speaking to Yen Sid. When he walked into Yen Sid's study, he saw Yen Sid speaking with Riku.

"Is this a bad time?" Roxas asked.

"No, I was about to send for you, Sora and Aqua. We need to prepare for war. If you haven't noticed, Heartless counts have been rising in the area around the tower. I believe that Xehanort definitely had some backup plan to ensure that he, or one of his lackeys, could summon Kingdom Hearts. I think he might be trying to create the _X_-Blade and a synthetic Kingdom Hearts at the same time. That would… be disastrous." Yen Sid said.

"I agree." Riku said, clearly convinced.

"As do I." Roxas replied.  
Yen Sid looked at Roxas and Riku, looking a little unsettled. "I think I want everyone in this tower to always be with at least one other person, can you two go and inform everyone of this."

Roxas and Riku stood up, heading out to do Yen Sid's bidding. They split up to cover more ground in a faster time.

_Three hours later_

Roxas sat down on a chair in his room, tired after talking to every single person in the west wing of the Tower. Roxas had since decided he was going to do some research on the origin of the _X_-Blade. He stood up, and looked at the prominent bookcase in his study. He was very excited that he got a study _and _a bedroom instead of just a room. He found the one about the origins of Keyblades, and pulled it out. He flipped through the pages of the book, looking for '_X-_blade' in the book. When he found a page on it, he read over it. Once he was done with that, he realized why it would be bad if Xehanort got it.

"Hmph." He said to himself.

He heard a grunt from the other side of the study.

"Who's there?" he said.

"Just me." Riku revealed himself, "I thought you were awake, but you weren't. So I decided to wait."

"Good enough." Roxas began, "What did you need?"

"Yen Sid wants to see us. He said to come as soon as we could."

"Let's go."

_A/N: What could Yen Sid want? You'll find out in the next chapter!_


	9. Chapter 9

_A/N: the last chapter was pretty short, so I decided to work on this one._

Chapter IX

Roxas headed into Yen Sid's study with Riku, only to see that Sora, Aqua, and King Mickey were already there.

"What's up?" Roxas asked.

"Yen Sid says war is coming." Aqua said, clearly annoyed at being roused early in the morning.

"Yes." Yen Sid began, "And it is coming soon."

"So why did you call us here?" Riku asked.

"I feel the need to re-seal the Hearts of some of the worlds. I know the seals on some of the worlds hold strong, while I sense that others have failed in their seals. Would you be willing to partner up with some of the Other Masters to re-seal the worlds?"

"We'll do it." They all said at the same time.

"Good." Yen Sid said, "I have already found the Master that will best partner with you to seal the worlds. The un-sealed worlds are few enough to be handled at one world each."

"So, who'll we be with?" Roxas said.

"Let's see, Roxas and Mickey, and Riku and Roxas, and Aqua, you will be staying here to dispatch the Heartless."

Roxas turned to Riku, and they walked out of the room. They walked out into the Courtyard, and Roxas summoned a portal to the Lanes Between. They walked through, and appeared in Twilight Town.

"Why are we in Twilight town? This place brings back bad memories." Riku said.

"I don't know why?" Roxas said.

Riku looked at Roxas: "You really have no idea what happened here, do you? You _never _existed in this place. I did. This place is just a place where they throw the crap out."

"What do you have against some peaceful little town?" Roxas said.

Riku scoffed, "You have no idea what transpired here."

"Nothing could be so bad that you should hate this place, it's peaceful-" Roxas was cut off when several Neoshadows appeared. Roxas and Riku summoned their Keyblades, and attacked. Within moments, the Heartless were dispatched. The Keyblades were dismissed, and Roxas turned back to Riku.

"So, what happened here?" Roxas asked.

Riku looked down in remembrance.

_Flashback_

_A man in a black coat walked towards Riku, who was outside the old mansion._

"_We could make a deal, you know. I could give you back Kairi, but only if you're willing to help me." The man said._

"_Help you how?" Riku asked._

"_By submitting to the Darkness. Our Superior thinks you would be a fitting…. Puppet for the Organization."_

"_I would never submit to the darkness!" Riku yelled._

"_Well then, I'm afraid that you won't be leaving here." The man said._

"_What could you mean by that?!"_

"_Well, let's just say you're gonna grow to hate this place." The man said. The man stuck out his hand, which was now enshrouded in darkness, and placed it on Riku's head. "Maybe you'll remember your friends, I haven't decided yet."_

_Flashback end_

Riku looked up, "Let's just say this place isn't my favorite, Okay?"

Roxas looked over to Riku, "Good enough for me. Let's go find the Heart of this world."

"Not happening. Sorry." A voice said from behind the two.

Roxas whirled around, shouting "Demyx!"

Demyx laughed. "So you still remember me?"

"Why can't we find the Heart of the world?"

"Xemnas said that to find the Heart of the world, you'd have to pass through me. And he's right, you know; I am the only one who knows the way to the Heart of the world."

Riku summoned his Way to the Dawn in front of Demyx's face.

"Start talking." He said.

"Fine, fine. It won't be me Xemnas eradicates."

"Talk. Now." Riku said.

"Fine. The Heart of the world is located on the Clock in the Clocktower."

Riku scoffed at Demyx, "Good." And hit Demyx with enough force to render him unconscious.

Roxas and Riku walked until they reached the clock tower, and then they Roxas used Oblivion to seal the Heart of the world. After that, they promptly went back to the tower.

_With Sora and Mickey_

Sora and Mickey walked to the Heart of Hollow Bastion, and prepared to seal it. When Mickey was about to seal it, Xigbar appeared from nowhere.

"Surprised to see me?" He said, and immediately blasted Mickey with a round from his Arrowguns. Mickey flew backwards, and Sora summoned his Kingdom Key. He quickly engaged Xigbar and the two battled for what seemed like hours until Xigbar vanished into a Dark Corridor. Sora then sealed the world, and picked up King Mickey. The two then returned to the Tower, only to see Roxas and Riku were already there. The group of four then walked up to Yen Sid's room, ready to speak with him about the days events.

_A/N: So, I know this was a little short, but it was all I had time to type up tonight. The flashback is very important, and is branching off into a slightly shorter story chronicling what happened when Riku passed out during the flashback. I will be posting chapters to that whenever I have time as I work on this one, and it will contain vital information relevant to this story's sequel-oops, spoilers._

_-Ace_


	10. Chapter 10

_A/N: Well, here I am, working on the tenth chapter of this story. So far, I am planning a monster chapter sometime soon. It won't be this one, but I'm planning it soon. Sorry I didn't update for a while, I got sidetracked._

Chapter X

Roxas looked at the others, unsure what to do. They looked back, equally confused. Roxas turned to Yen Sid, and stated:

"We were all attacked by the Organization. Do you know why?"

"I assume they _want _the Heartless to invade." Yen Sid replied.

"Well, thanks, but we already assumed that." Roxas said with a tight-lipped smile.

"You need more, than I assume they don't want you to interfere, and they're using scare tactics." Yen Sid replied.

"Well, then let's scare them back." Roxas said.

"How so?" Aqua asked for Yen Sid.

"I don't know. We can't let them just take over the worlds. Do you have any ideas?" Roxas replied.

"Well, there is something." Yen Sid began, "It is something from the legends of old, but some believe it exists. That legend is that of the…. Ultima weapon."

"That's just a myth." Riku said, "It doesn't even exist."

"Some would beg to differ. And I believe I know exactly how to find it." Yen Sid replied.

"How?" Roxas asked.

"I believe it may be locked away in your memories, Roxas." Yen Sid said.

"What do you mean?" Roxas said.

"You used to be a part of Sora. Now you are not. The unfortunate truth is, you retained some of the memories. If we were to unlock those, then maybe you'll be able to locate the Ultima weapon." Yen Sid replied, sounding a bit skeptical himself.

"Well this is a predicament." Riku said, breaking the silence.

"No, really, Riku." Roxas said.

"Sorry, just thought it needed to be said."

"Well, it didn't. So you can stay out of this." Roxas replied.

"Hey, hey, everyone. Let's just calm down." Sora said, trying to lighten the mood.

"I WON'T CALM DOWN!" Roxas and Riku said at the same time.

"Whoa, Whoa, Sorry." Sora said, backing up.

"Both of you, stop it." Yen Sid said.

The two calmed a bit, and backed away from each other. Oblivion and Oathkeeper appeared, as well as Way to the Dawn.

"Both of you, STOP IT!" A voice screamed from behind a curtain. Kairi stepped out, blushing.

"Who invited her?" Roxas said, head falling back into his arms, crossed behind his head.

"You…You little…." She began.

"Can't find a good insult, can you?" Roxas replied with a smirk.

"Ughh, just, just, SHUT UP!" She yelled, summoning her Keyblade.

Roxas backed up, and summoned Oblivion and Oathkeeper. He leapt forward, and knocked her Keyblade to the ground with Oathkeeper and Swung Oblivion until it was an inch from her face.

"I wouldn't try to attack me, you can't win." Roxas said.

"Uggh, This isn't fair." Kairi said, mumbling.

Roxas turned, and walked out the door. "I need to get away for a while. I don't when I'll be back, so if you need me, just send this." With this, he tossed a chain with a ring on it to Sora. Roxas then walked out the door, slipping on his Black Coat as he left. He then walked over to a portal he had just opened, and headed for Twilight Town.

_3 Hours Later_

Roxas stood on the clock tower, his hair blowing in the breeze. He looked down at Oblivion and Oathkeeper. They almost looked like they would…. Fit together. He slammed the key parts of the Keyblades together, and they formed together into a beam of light before forming a new Keyblade.

He squeezed his eyes shut, the pain of memories blurring his thoughts together. He knew the Keyblade was….. The _Ultima weapon!_ He was so surprised with this new development he didn't pay attention to his previous statement, and whirled around, only to see Kairi standing there. She was holding her Keyblade, glaring at him.

"Hogging all the glory, I see." She said.

"What are you doing here?" He shouted.

"Coming to make you stop this insanity."

Roxas glared at her, and swung the Ultima weapon, easily knocking her down.

"Stay away, please. I need to learn more about my power."

Kairi stood up, and brushing herself off, leapt at him. She swung her Keyblade, Easily evading Roxas's blows. Roxas flipped backward, landing on the ground in front of the clock tower.

"Just a few hours ago, she wasn't this strong." He muttered to himself. He looked up to see her rushing at Roxas. Roxas threw up the Ultima weapon, or Ultima, as the Keyblade seemed to want him to call it. Roxas swung it through the air, watching the trail of energy follow it. He looked at Kairi, and lunged. The Keyblade struck with such force that Kairi flew backwards. She flipped through the air, and landed on the ground. Roxas turned, and ran through a portal to the Lanes Between before teleporting back to Yen Sid's tower.


End file.
